A silver line whooshed through a trio of wooden posts; it first travelled diagonally, right to left, and then went for a straight path from left to right. Sections of the wood slid down from the top and bumped against each other; pieces of the post tumbled and settled on the floor.

Nothing like the sound of drumming wood after a few test cuts, Cornelia thought. She let her wrists feel the weight of the blade; the sensation was almost like reuniting with a long-lost friend. Her last two tasks under the Gray Fox did not find the need for her sword to be used; what reward she received could not offset the risk of being unmasked taking her trusted weapon along. There would come a time when the true might of the Steel Rose was needed. She fancied a duel with another sword master, but it would take a while before anything close to it was achieved; unfamiliar guns and weird machines found in this organization's armory proved that swords were not a favored weapon among its members.

A small bag was beside her; embroidered vines and flowers hid the location of its zipper, but Cornelia's fingers got hold of it with little effort. Inside were clean flannel sheets, a small sealed bottle and something that looked like a red ball attached to a stick. Cornelia took out the first cloth sheet and glided it against the blade. She then took the bottle and poured some of its contents on a second cloth; the wet cloth was wiped on the sword and gave the blade a weak liquid sheen. Cornelia took a third flannel to remove the oily film from the weapon; what she did next was to tap the red ball on its surface, leaving specks of white on the blade. She was going through a fourth wipe of her sword when someone spoke to her from behind:

"What a strange weapon. I didn't realize that you were carrying a sword of your own."

"Shouldn't you be in bed recovering from your wounds and not spying on someone who is busy cleaning her weapon?" Cornelia caught the man's reflection on her blade.

"I didn't find walking around to be against any medical advice."

"Suit yourself, Master Guildenstern." Cornelia hid the blade back to its scabbard. "So, what do you have in mind?"

"I was just on my way, but then I thought if it would be better if I talk to you about, well..."

"I'm not sure if I'm getting this..." She lay the sword on the floor and faced Gerhard.

"How do you get about this? Hmm..." Gerhard cut his voice to a whisper; there was a pause, followed by the return of his neutral tone saying, "So, how did you learn to use swords? I find it unusual for a woman to wield such a weapon. Most of the women we hired served as informers, and the occasional spy."

"Took you a while to notice that." Cornelia began putting away the cloths and the oil bottle. "I was taught fencing at an early age. My father served in the Frankish Army before, uhm... I'll tell you that some other time. Long story."

"You didn't have any brothers?"

"I am the only daughter. There's a reason for that, but I don't think that will help you get the idea." Cornelia finished sealing the bag containing her blade-cleaning implements. "It didn't take too long before I mastered my father's swordplay, so I decided to wander far and away to learn more sword arts. You know, learning so much in a short amount of time and in a lot of places could be fun. I ended up in the Far East, where the swordmaster there had this sword forged for me."

"Have you thought of coming home, to Frankland?"

"I wanted to, but there's no home for me to come back to." Cornelia's face retreated from the light; half of it was concealed by the dim shadow. "I don't think I'm ready to talk about that part of my life to anyone just yet."

"I see."

"You're not the type who asks too many questions." Cornelia went near him again. "Since I've given you a little of something about me, I'd like to learn a little more about you. Fair deal, right? So, how did you learn your magical tricks?"

Gerhard let out a laugh. His right hand was trying to tug something on his sides, until her remembered that he was not sporting his cape. He raked on his umber hair before he said:

"I was born with this talent, or so did my parents say, which the magicians of Luminberg agreed with afterwards. All of them didn't want a good potential go to waste, so I was sent to the Academy when I was six."

"Academy huh? That place where they make sense out of making fireballs and anything with mana on it."

"Yes. That Academy."

"You did tell me that you studied there. What happened?"

"You won't find any sense on what I'm about to say on that matter." Gerhard walked around Cornelia before stopping to take a glance at her sheathed sword. "I was top of the class for plainly being able to use my craft without the need for tomes and other instruments. There were... events, that lead to my removal from the Academy."

"You were expelled?"

"Putting it bluntly, yes. I wasn't that fortunate in landing a job. There were other matters that made it worse, including family-related concerns."

"So you ended up working for the Boss Fox?"

"I was one of his first members alongside Winston, and that was when the Gray Fox's organization was barely one." Gerhard sat on the floor. "He knew my abilities even before he met me. I was given an opportunity to put them to a good cause, and here I am: one of his most trusted aides."

"You are quite the interesting people here, really. You all chose to side with the Boss Fox because you wanted to. It's really different from the world I'm used to."

There was silence; Gerhard felt more confident to look into Cornelia's eyes, yet he felt a slight tremble coming from his gaze. It might be from this new view of her; one whose head was no longer covered in cloth or with a cap. He caught sheen on the edges of her diamond face; one that was shadowed by a loose flow of the weird red hair. Gerhard found himself looking at a gaze that seemed young, yet it had seen much through the years.

He was almost trapped in the woman's looks when his salvation came in the form of Cornelia's words:

"So... I was wondering if there ever came a time when you questioned the Boss Fox's motives. Don't get me wrong, I like working here. I just don't get it sometimes."

"Get what?"

"Those things, like creating a better future, making this 'miracle' that will convince the Empire to join us and all that." Cornelia looked at the floor. Her eyes then shifted to the wall before saying, "It's nice to think about those things. This makes me feel that I've signed up to work for a bunch of revolutionaries than for down-and-dirty crooks."

"I never had those thoughts. The Master has always been a man of act." Gerhard's tone was straight; his answer drew the swordswoman's attention even more. "He knows everyone's strengths, and plays them to their fullest. You being here is an example of his awareness."

"You're not the type to resort to flattery." Cornelia combed the sides of her hair and took the small bag with one hand; the sword clutched on the other. "Thanks. You shouldn't be wasting too much time here."

"Thank you for reminding me then."

He let the woman leave the training room first; his steps followed behind up until both stopped at an intersection. To the left was the way to the infirmary and opposite it led to the mercenaries' quarters.

"It's been a while since I got to talk about those matters with somebody. Again, thanks for listening."

"Not a problem, Miss Sauvant."

"'Cornelia' will do. I hope you'll get used to it someday." She put up a smile before she turned the other way. "See you around, and be at your top condition soon. It's getting boring staying in here without anything else to do."

"I will."

He watched Cornelia move farther away; her details slowly dissolving into a silhouette until she vanished upon turning to the hallway that led to her room. Gerhard stared at the cast and bandages wrapped around his arm. The sling was giving him an itch again, but it would take a while before he could cut free from them.